It's all good in the beginning….

Privyet!  That's Russian for "hello" or "howdy" for my fellow Texans.

I'm glad you're here!  "Here" is the first of what will be a lot of purposeful thoughts, random thoughts, human interest stories, photos, and, most importantly, reports about our attempts to be salt and light to everyone we meet in Russia.

We leave for Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) in 28 days - on October 17, and return on November 3.  We go to that most wonderful city to be salt and light, to show the love of Christ, to do all we can do to not only heal the heart but the body as well.  We go there to be a friend, to be a confidant, an advisor, an encourager, a brother, a sister, a father, a mother.  We go there to, as the apostle Paul said, "…become all things to all people so that by all possible means [we] might save some."  We go there to love as Christ would love.  The picture below pretty much sums it up, I think.  My dear friend and Elder, John Cooke, being the surrogate father to the fatherless.

There's an old saying, "We are all at the mercy of our wild monkey minds. Incessantly swinging from branch to branch."  My challenge is to keep you, my dear reader, swinging from paragraph to paragraph, page to page, and hold your interest - to keep you awake!  I would like to say that every letter I write will regale you with exciting tales of adventure and success at everything we do, but sadly that will not be the case so let's go ahead and get that out of the way so you can lower your expectations (smile).  Oh yes, and I am also apologizing now for the inevitable typos, redundancy, and all around bad grammar that will no doubt find its way into my writing.

To family and friends who support us with prayer, support us with encouragement, support us financially, thanks is not enough but thanks is all we have.  Without you we could not do what we do.  It would be impossible!  Believe me when I say that even though you don't get on the plane and endure the long voyage (the beating!) to Volgograd and back, you are as much a part of the success of this ministry as any of us who go.

Please bookmark this journal and check back with me from time to time.  I'll do my best to keep you in the loop!

I sign this first letter in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I have faith in Him, I have faith His death is my life, and I choose to believe everyone I love will also receive His grace and love.  That is what I choose to believe because His love is greater than mine.

Mike